Ann Dornfeld
Reporter
About
Ann is a reporter on KUOW's Investigations team. Previously, she covered education stories for KUOW for a decade, with a focus on investigations into racial and socioeconomic inequities.
Her ongoing series exposing Seattle Public Schools’ lenient discipline of staff who abused students has won investigative reporting awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and the Education Writers Association. She was also lauded for her years of work covering disparities in the amount of recess and P.E. time students received in low-income schools.
Previously, Ann worked at Alaska Public Radio Network in Anchorage, and KLCC in Eugene, Oregon. Her freelance work, focusing on science and environmental issues, has appeared on national outlets including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Marketplace and The World.
Ann’s marine and underwater photography has appeared in the American Museum of Natural History and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
She lives with her husband and two children in South Seattle.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors
Stories
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False advertising: This Seattle Covid test center reveals the 'Wild West' of antibody screening
That a budget hotel has become a makeshift medical facility offering unproven antibody tests highlights the gaps in regulatory oversight at the local, state and federal levels during this pandemic.
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How many Seattle students are doing distance learning? The school district can’t say
After two months of state-mandated distance learning due to the coronavirus, and distributing 13,500 laptops to students, Seattle Public Schools cannot say how many of its students are showing up to virtual classes, handing in assignments, doing paper packets, or have even made contact with school staff.
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'Just how it is for me right now.' For many teens, work now comes before school
During the Tuesday lunch rush at Best Pho and Thai in Renton, 16-year-old Ngoc-Linh Truong bagged up take-out orders as her mom tossed onions in a flaming wok. This is Truong’s brother’s restaurant, and Truong, a junior at Franklin High School in south Seattle, usually helps one or two nights a week during the school year.
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Summer school in Seattle goes ahead, on a short schedule
OSPI plans to continue distance learning
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Seattle Police Department investigating officer's handling of bias incident at Home Depot
The department's Office of Police Accountability is examining what happened after a man called 911 to report being the target of anti-Asian slurs. He says the responding officer was dismissive of his complaint, despite the department recently urging the public to report bias incidents.
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Parents: You may qualify for three months of paid leave during the pandemic
If you’re home caring for your children due to school or child care closures related to Covid-19, you may qualify for 12 weeks of leave from work under the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act: two weeks of unpaid leave, for which sick leave or vacation time can be used, then 10 weeks of leave at two-thirds of your usual pay.
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Seattle Covid-19 home testing project halted pending federal approval
The Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network, the first of its kind nationwide, had tested more than 12,000 people to measure how prevalent Covid-19 was in the community among people with and without symptoms.
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Seattle math teacher who punched student in the face is leaving the district
James Johnson had been on paid administrative leave from Washington Middle School since January, when a KUOW investigation revealed his history of abusing students, including punching a boy in the face at Meany Middle School in 2018. After the story ran, the district said new allegations had emerged against Johnson, and pulled him from the classroom.
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'The message is changing': These Seattle clinics say they now test lower-risk people and wide range of Covid-19 symptoms
Testing supplies still aren't at adequate levels for widespread testing - but at least some Seattle-area clinics say their supplies have improved in time for the state's expanded list of Covid
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In distance learning, many Seattle-area teachers worry about the students left behind
Seattle-area teachers say the first few weeks of distance learning have been a learning experience for them, as well – from the new technology they are trying to master to the challenges of getting in contact with some students.